Ever feel frustrated by your own time management strategies? Do you find yourself focusing on one task until morning? Or maybe you don’t get THAT invested but lose track of time easily. According to Harvard Business Review, time management skills are one of the most important and desired workforce skills to have, yet one of the hardest skills to find. It’s obvious that many of us struggle with time management, so how do we overcome it? We have curated a list of the biggest question that comes into our head: WHAT ARE 5 TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES?
Time Management Strategy #1: “Be Aware”
When we assess time management we must ask ourselves: How fast can I do my tasks? This is an important question since once we have an answer then we know for sure how long a task will take. I understand we may not want to do an activity because we don’t know how much time it will take, but it is up to our time management skills to answer that question. Once we know how much time an activity takes, then we can move onto our next steps of having successful time management strategies.
Time Management Strategy #2: “Prioritize”
For effective time management, we need to think about the tasks we NEED to complete versus the tasks that we WANT to complete. Time management is all about placing our needs above our wants. If we want to create a “To-Do” list, then the most important and urgent tasks need to be placed at the top of the list. It’s important to use this time management system because if we do not get through the whole checklist, then it’s okay. No biggie. The most important thing is that you handled what you needed to do today. No need to beat yourself up if you do not complete the list; some lists may take more than a day to complete. This effective time management strategy is not about clearing the list as fast as you can.
#3: “Plan”
As we have discussed earlier, good time management strategies include placing your important and urgent tasks at the top of the list, while placing unimportant and non-urgent tasks at the bottom of the list. Compiling all these tasks onto a to-do list may work, but having a time management planner or calendar of some sort is arguably more important. With a daily planner we can dedicate blocks of time towards a certain task. There is a risk with to-do lists as it may not manage our time well enough. Using a time management planner allows for you to switch onto another task easily if there is a task that may take up a little too much of your time, such as pesky lawn work. This time management strategy can become even more effective if you set up alarms that indicate when it is time to switch tasks.
#4: “Do not Disturb”
Often our biggest enemy to our time management strategies are distractions. It’s important to manage these distractions by turning off social media notifications, installing apps that manage your screen time, or even setting your phone away from you so you can focus on your task. As they say, “out of sight, out of mind.” When we think about why we may have such a poor time management system, it’s mostly because we lose track of time when browsing social media. Or, we talk for hours with people, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s about managing how long we can dedicate our day to certain things. Taking the initiative is key for this time management strategy; let’s set these distractions away momentarily until we arrive at our least important tasks.
#5: “Take Short Breaks”
Taking short breaks might easily be one of the most important time management strategies. It’s incredibly easy for our brain to get tired of constantly being productive. I find that I am most productive when I take short breaks. These breaks could include stretching, microdoses of social media, replying to emails or text messages, or even eating a snack. If we constantly force our brains to run marathons, it’s very easy for our time management skills to deplete. Setting timers for how long we take our breaks is essential for this time management strategy; after the break you will notice your brain is refreshed.
Whether you are a student who struggles with creating time management strategies, or a professional who is struggling with switching between tasks, all of these strategies are essential practices. Once you develop these good habits, then there will be a day where you might not even need the alarms. Being aware of how we manage our time is one of the most important skills both professionally and personally. Consider these time management strategies and apply them to your daily life for the best results.
